nj1015.com: NJ towns were ravaged by drugs — But now some signs of improvement seen

10/21/2019

NOTE: This is Part 1 of New Jersey 101.5's four-part series this week, Battling Addiction. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, New Jersey 101.5 will hold a special town hall on opioid addiction and recovery. You can listen live for free at 101.5 FM or on our app, or watch at Facebook.com/NJ1015.


The opioid abuse epidemic continues to rage in New Jersey but there are hopeful signs the Garden State may finally be starting to turn the corner to recovery.

Between 2014 and 2018, the annual number of confirmed drug overdose deaths in New Jersey, mostly involving opioids skyrocketed, rising more than 139%

However, for the first seven months of 2019, the number of suspected drug overdose deaths totaled 1,633, an average of about 233 a month. That means if the trend holds through the end of the year, the overdose-death total in New Jersey will drop from last year.



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